A Birmingham-based welfare to work firm is bidding to play a part in David Cameron’s Big Society this week after appointing a new global chief executive.

Pertemps People Development Group (PPDG) has tendered for funding from the coalition Government’s The Work Programme, which has been drawn up by ministers including former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith.

Colin Birchall, who was recently named chief executive of PPDG’s parent firm Employment Services Holdings Group, said the shake up in welfare and benefits present an opportunity for the company.

ESH has a turnover of £150 million and specialises in placing people on benefits into long-term careers.

While recent reports have claimed that the coalition plans to cut as much as £4 billion from welfare expenditure, Mr Birchall said the Big Society plans fit well with PPDG’s offer.

“The opportunity in the UK is an enormous one. We have a history of 13 years of delivering Government-funded initiatives.

“This is about giving people the skills to get jobs and maintain that work.

“You hear about the big society that Cameron wants in the UK. A lot of that is about getting jobs in deprived areas and giving greater spending opportunities to develop great change.

“And the thing that Pertemps People Development Group has always prided itself on is placing people in work and giving the support network to stay in employment, and hopefully the ambition to grow in work.”

Mr Birchall’s appointment to the top job comes at a crucial time for PPDG as the country’s welfare goes through a transformation.

He said companies have until September 27 to be a part in The Work Programme and offer services for the Department for Work & Pensions and the Ministry of Justice.

The selection process will take place across the winter months and programmes are expected to start being rolled out next spring and summer.

He said: “In the UK we have a new coalition Government which came in in May and we have a new set of requirements for what they want to achieve in terms of welfare and benefits. We have Iain Duncan-Smith and beneath him Chris Grayling and Lord Freud focusing on programmes for welfare reform.

“They are seeking to get away from the lots and lots of initiatives under the Labour government and get into one programme – The Work Programme.

“There is a big change happening in the UK where if we take all the people on incapacity benefit or Jobseeker’s Allowance who want to be in work and do something about it the effect will be enormous.

“There are more than five million people in this position and it will benefit them and go a big way to help the Government make the savings it needs to.”

Employment Services Holdings Group has a turnover of £150 million – £40 million of which comes from PPDG – and holds contracts both in the UK and Australia to tackle unemployment and social exclusion.